1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a sliding element suspended from and guided on the top of a roller rail by support rollers or glide elements, where the roller rail is connected to a substructure by roller rail brackets, which grip the roller rail from underneath, and where a keeper device located underneath the roller rail is attached to the sliding element or to components attached to the sliding element.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the usual case, a gap is present between the sliding element and the bottom of the roller rail; this gap is intended to make it possible to hang the sliding element, including its support rollers, as a single unit from the roller rail. During normal use of the sliding element, this gap can allow the sliding element to jump unintentionally off the rail. To prevent this, keeper devices are provided on the sliding elements or on parts attached to them. The outer contour of the keeper device which faces the roller rail is only a short distance away from the outer periphery of the roller rail, which means that the sliding element cannot be disengaged from the rail until after the keeper devices have been removed. If, however, the roller rail brackets that support the roller rail are of the type which grip the rail from underneath, difficulties can occur when keeper devices of this type travel over them.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,345 discloses a sliding element which is suspended from and guided on a guide rail by straps extending between the sliding element and the support rollers. The guide rail is supported in a U-shaped support profile, which is open at the top, and, like the support profile, is made up of several subsections. The subsections of the support profile are supported, at the points where they butt up against each other, by angle-shaped brackets, the horizontal shanks of which grip the support profile from underneath. No measures are taken to prevent the sliding element from jumping off the rail unintentionally.
In known sliding elements suspended by straps, keeper devices are provided, which are rigidly connected to the straps. Part of the outer contour of each keeper device wraps around or extends under the outer contour of the roller rail with a certain amount of play. This play is necessary to allow the keeper device to travel over the roller rail bracket, but it must also allow the device to fulfill its “keeping” function at the same time